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THX From the Studio to the Cinema

A THX Certified Cinema is built to replicate the acoustics and ambiance of the THX Certified Studio environment. From the surround sound speakers and screen placement to the acoustic baffle wall and sound isolation, THX Certified Cinemas allow moviegoers to be completely immersed in the storyline – enjoying every detail of the movie’s sound effects, score, dialogue and visual presentation—exactly like it was produced in the studio.

A THX Certified Studio is a motion picture dubbing theater where directors, sound designers and mixers bring movie soundtracks to life. These studios are meticulously designed to THX performance specifications to accurately capture every bass note, surround effect and piece of dialogue during the mixing session. By focusing on room design and acoustics, including the quality of the studio production equipment, THX provides filmmakers and recording artists the ultimate environment to mix their magic.

Today, the world’s premier mixing studios are THX Certified, including Skywalker Sound at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Ranch, Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post in New Zealand and Twentieth Century Fox in Hollywood.

From the Studio to the Cinema

A THX Certified Cinema is built to replicate the acoustics and ambiance of the THX Certified Studio environment. From the surround sound speakers and screen placement to the acoustic baffle wall and sound isolation, THX Certified Cinemas allow moviegoers to be completely immersed in the storyline – enjoying every detail of the movie’s sound effects, score, dialogue and visual presentation—exactly like it was produced in the studio.

The placement of the cinema screen is precisely calculated for every THX Certified Cinema. To ensure the best possible viewing experience, THX recommends having a 36 degree viewing angle from the farthest seat in the auditorium.

Prior to construction, THX advises cinema designers and architects to accommodate for the 36 degree horizontal viewing angle. And, to make sure that every seat has an unobstructed view, THX often recommends either elevating or lowering the entire floor to adjust the seating location.

To achieve THX certification, the cinema projection booth must be accurately placed in relation to the screen for the best viewing experience. If the projection booth is not correctly positioned and installed, the projected image will have a keystone or trapezoid effect.

Ok! No Ok!

THX Certified Cinemas are quiet.

They feature massive wall structures to isolate the cinema from the outside world—creating a pristine audio sanctuary. With these walls, audiences can focus on the movie experience in front of them, as opposed to distracting sounds from neighboring cinema auditoriums, outside traffic and lobby activity.

THX Sound Isolation Methods

Large quantity of building material Isolating air gap Large quantity of building material With THX Sound Isolation

The walls in a THX Certified Cinema are constructed to provide sound isolation from other auditoriums.

Without THX Sound Isolation

Without the use of the recommended building materials, thin wall construction allows sound to pass through to neighboring auditoriums.

THX Certified Cinema Reverberation Control

Reverberation is the presence of sound after its source has stopped – much like an echo. In a movie theater, reverberation often builds as sound reflects off surfaces such as walls, floors and ceilings.

For example, in an action film, such Iron Man, there are several instances where the movie’s hero (Tony Stark) is being chased through the sky by two fighter jets, followed immediately by quiet, more dialogue-driven moments. In a THX Certified Cinema with tightly controlled reverberation, the sound of jet engines and explosions ends immediately, never bleeding over into the next scene.

Among the methods THX uses to control reverberation is covering the rear wall of the auditorium with thick, absorptive material. This prevents the direct sound of the screen speakers from reflecting into the seating area. THX also requires the placement of absorptive materials on the sidewalls, down to the audience’s ear level. This reduces the amount of sidewall reflections. Image caption with acoustic paneling